Union warns Tesco could face shortages if strike goes ahead
Unite's members who are warehouse workers are considering walking out over their pay
A union is warning Tesco could face potential shortages across its stores in the UK as over 3,000 warehouse workers and HGV drivers vote on strike action over pay.
Unite's members who work for the supermarket in Belfast, Didcot, Doncaster and Thurrock have rejected a four per cent pay rise.
They say it falls short of the 5.1 per cent increase granted to store staff, and have overwhelmingly favoured a strike in a consultative ballot.
Tesco’s profits have been under scrutiny, with the company reporting adjusted operating profits of £3.2 billion for the last financial year, and projecting similar figures for 2026/27.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham criticised Tesco’s profit-sharing priorities, highlighting the disparity in pay rewards between executives and workers.
She said, “Tesco is making massive profits and paying out millions in shareholder dividends and executive pay while their own workers are left to struggle with a baked in cost-of-living crisis. If the bosses at Tesco won’t give their warehouse workers and HGV drivers a fair piece of the pie, they could soon start to see empty shelves in their shops across the country. Unite will be backing these workers 100 per cent.”
The strike action would impact approximately 3,100 workers across four locations, potentially disrupting distribution to Tesco outlets nationwide. The ballot for this strike action is set to close on 17th August.
Adrian Jones, Unite’s national officer for road transport and logistics, emphasised the need for Tesco to make a satisfactory offer to prevent industrial action.
He said: "There is still time for industrial action to be avoided but that will require Tesco making an acceptable offer."
A Tesco spokesperson addressed the concerns in a statement:
“We have made a fair offer which would see colleagues receive an above-inflation pay award. We remain focused on reaching an agreement, and have well-established contingency plans to ensure there are no issues with availability.”